About this ebook
Greenways aren’t just scenic paths—they’re strategic corridors that protect biodiversity, manage stormwater, connect neighborhoods, and foster mental and physical well-being. This book shows you how to design them well. Drawing from ecology, conservation biology, recreation planning, and aquatic systems, the authors break down what makes greenways effective—structurally, socially, and ecologically.
You’ll benefit from dozens of case studies that illustrate what successful greenway projects look like in practice, from historic urban parkways to river-adjacent trails and wildlife corridors. You'll learn how greenways are conceived, what challenges they face, and how they evolve to meet the needs of growing communities and shifting landscapes.
Most importantly, Designing Greenways gives you the confidence to initiate or improve greenway projects in your own community. It helps you make smarter planning decisions, avoid common pitfalls, and design spaces that endure. For anyone seeking to build healthier, more connected, and more resilient places, this book delivers the vision—and the roadmap—to do it right.
About the author
Landscape architect Paul Cawood Hellmund is Director of the Conway School of Landscape Design in western Massachusetts. His writing, teaching, and design work focus on greenways, ecological networks, protected areas, and related projects that seek a balance the needs of people with the functions of nature. He lives with his wife and two sons in the village of Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.
Daniel Somers Smith teaches in the Environmental Studies department of Antioch University, New England in Keene, NH. He is interested in the history, ideas, and practice of nature conservation and environmentalism, and especially how critical analysis of this and other social movements can lead to more inclusive and far-sighted modes of action. He is also the author of Hidden Ecologies: The Paradox of Consumptive Environmentalism, which examines the intertwined histories of wildlands conservation and tourism in the New England and New York.
